


Not Every Journey Ends Where You Expect It To

by Rosencrantz



Series: Ghost Stories - Fandom [13]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Child Death, Did you ever notice Petalburg Woods is right outside the starting area, Gen, ghost story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-03 14:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21180794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosencrantz/pseuds/Rosencrantz
Summary: Becky is going to be the Pokemon Champion, not like her no good brother who never calls home anymore.





	Not Every Journey Ends Where You Expect It To

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cookinguptales](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookinguptales/gifts).

> Thanks to Rain for the beta!
> 
> To my recipient: I promise this is a ghost fic.

Becky's 11th birthday heralded the end of summer and a new beginning. 

Because now Becky was old enough to become a trainer! 

Her very own pokemon: Check! (A hearty Mudkip)

Her own special Rustboro City Gym branded Travel Bag: Check! (Roxanne herself gave it to Becky! "Come and challenge me when you're ready, kid!")

Running shoes: Check!

And most importantly of all, a cell phone. Her mother wasn't having a repeat of what happened when _Josh_, Becky's older brother, had gone on his journey a bit over a year before and he never bothered to call with updates! Who knows where he was now. Becky's friend Tiffany said Josh was probably gambling away all his winnings in a game corner somewhere.

So Becky promised her mom: "Mom, I promise I will phone you _every_ day. You're going to see me become the champion."

Everything packed and ready, Becky left Littleroot on her journey.

***

True to her word, Becky called her mother every day.

"Yeah, mom, can you believe the gym leader at Petalburg wasn't there? I think it's good news! It means Roxanne can be my first gym leader and that's the best thing ever! She's the greatest and when she sees how strong I am, she'll be so proud she gave me my bag! This time I'll get her to sign it! Mom, mom? Mom?"

Becky shook her phone. Lost signal. Vanished just as she entered Petalburg Woods. 

"Must be these big trees," said Becky. She hefted up her bag. Well, no problem. She'd march through and call her mom on the other side. She might even catch a new pokemon!

Petalburg Woods was a lot bigger inside than it looked on the map. And quiet, like a cathedral of trees.

Becky let out her Mudkip to keep her company as she walked. It trotted along, not really looking at her. That was okay. Becky knew they'd bond in time and be unstoppable.

"Becky!"

She froze in her tracks. What the--

"Becky!" 

That time she knew exactly what she heard. It was something she hadn't heard in a long time. That was Josh's voice. And not only that, Josh was screaming!

She raced towards the sound, the trees around her turning into a blue of yellow, red, and orange leaves. What was Josh doing in Petalburg Woods? What was hurting him? Whatever it was, she was going to help! 

She didn't realize until this exact moment how much she'd really been missing her older brother.

"Becky! Becky!" 

She didn't realize it until it was too late, but she'd outrun her Mudkip. She was alone to face whatever had Josh. His voice was full of terror and pain. She had to find him, she couldn't go back for Mudkip. This was _family_.

And then she realized something, much later. Hours later. After Josh's voice had stopped and the sun had set.

She was so very lost.

Becky sat at the bottom of a tree and hugged her knees tight. She checked her phone again. No signal.

She choked back a sob.

"J-Josh? Can you hear me?"

There was no response. She hadn't heard him since before the sun set.

She didn't manage to choke back this sob.

She slept.

The next day, Josh called for her again, and she ran to him.

Then the next day, and the next.

Becky wasn't finding enough food in the forest. She couldn't find her Mudkip. She had no way of catching another pokemon. Not that they'd come near her. They ran away from her, like there was something desperately wrong with her.

She couldn't find her way out of the forest. She couldn't find Josh. She couldn't find food.

When she went to sleep on her final night, when she sat up again her body didn't sit up with her.

She saw Josh, or… she saw a floating stump with glowing eyes that looked just like Josh's.

He held out a small stump to her, with a little twig growing out, two tiny leaves on it.

"I thought you'd never find me," he told her.

Becky placed the stump over her head and floated above her body.

"I missed you," she said.

"I missed you too," said Josh. "It's so easy to get lost in here, isn't it?"

**Author's Note:**

> The moral of the story is: Don't listen to Phantump, no matter who they once were.


End file.
